French broom is a perennial alternate-leaved shrub growing to 10' tall with villous branchlets and trifoliate, oblanceolate to obovate leaves.  The flowers are in clusters of 4-10 on short, axillary stems, and have a silky-hairy, three-pointed calyx and bright yellow petals with a glabrous, ovate banner to 1/2" long.  The ten stamens are fused into a tube about halfway along their length.  The fruit is a densely villous seedpod about 1" long.  French broom blooms from March to May, and may be found along roadsides and in other disturbed areas, but also naturalized in some places in the w. Transverse Range and Peninsular Range not far from the coast.  French broom is often confused with Scotch broom and Spanish broom.  Spanish broom is a mostly leafless shrub but when it does have leaves, they are simple.  This is what most people see in s. California.  Scotch broom is also mostly leafless, but it may have single leaves on the younger stems and 3 leaflets on the older.  Scotch broom is generally restricted to more northerly locations but may occasionally be seen in s. California.  French broom is a leafy shrub with 3-foliate leaves.  It is native to the Mediterranean and the Azores.

Click here for Latin name derivations: 1) Genista 2) monspessulana.
Pronunciation: jen-IS-ta mon-spes-yoo-LAY-na.
Click here for Botanical Term Meanings.